3.5/5 ★ – Onahx's review of Hollow Knight.

Over the years Hollow Knight has gained a reputation among indie games that’s almost impossible for itself to live up to. After having (finally) finished it, while I do think it’s a tad overhyped, I can absolutely understand why it’s so beloved for so many. The world here feels far more alive than any other metroidvania I’ve experienced. By the end you feel like you’ve truly been through an adventure in an unfamiliar land that has now become a part of you. And world building is done through the atmosphere of the game, rather than the story stopping you for long exposition dump cutscenes. And it’s all in an art style that’s very much itself. If I was rating this game on vibes alone, it would be the full five stars. I do, however, think the game takes a minute to find its stride. I started this game five years ago and made it like two hours in before putting in down, picking it back up this year. And it’s taken me months this year to play through the 16 hours it took me because I kept getting distracted by other games in the first few hours. I think this may just be because of the grueling difficulty towards the beginning here. But I also just found that the overwhelming majority of collectibles and hidden items that would power me up weren’t obtainable until a third of the way in or so. Regardless, once the game did hit its stride I was locked in. The combat and exploration are satisfying, and once the world really opens up you’re really encouraged to do things at your own pace. I accidentally woke up on of the three dreamers way before I was intended to. My one other nitpick is that I wish there were more stag stations. Backtracking is especially monotonous here even for a metroidvania and it’s why I didn’t 100% it. Despite my few gripes though, this game is absolutely something special and I’m glad the gaming community as a whole has recognized that. If metroidvanias are your thing, this is a must play.